Combination all-ways impact and time fuse



J. H. SWAN.

COMBINATION ALL WAYS IMPACT AND TIME FUSE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1919- Patented-Apr. 5, 1921.-

Warren STATES PATENT omen;

JOHN H. SWAN, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, ASSIGN'OR TO SECRETARY OF WAR, TRUSTEE.

NEWTON :D. BAKER,

COMBINATION ALL-WAYS IMPACT Ann TIME EUsE.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patente dApr. 5, 192,1;

*n neation filed July 25,1919. Seria1 1 Io.i318,370.

(FILED UNDER THE ACT. or anon s. 1883, 22ISTAT. 1., e25.

- To all whom c'fimay concern:

1 Be it known ithat I, JOHN swan,- Lieut. OrdnanceDepartment, U. S. Army, a c1t1- zen of the United States, stationed at Wash-.

'lIIgtODfD; 0., have invented an Improvement in Combination All-Ways" Impact and Time Fuses, of which the following is a specification.

The invention described herein may be .used by the Government,i or any of'..1ts

ofiicers or employees in prosecutionof workv for .the Urovernment, orby any other person inthe ,United States, without payment of any royalty thereon.

My invention relatesto: drop: bombs such as are used inconnection with aeroplanes,

' erative afterthe bomb is released and while itis in flight, thus minimizing the danger to the operatordue to defective construction or deteriorationof the char 'e of the bomb. Another object is toprovide' a firing mechanism which will function. properly al-' though the contact made by the bomb may be at an angle to its longitudinal axls.

Like reference numerals refer to-corr'e-- sponding parts in both vlews of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my invention; and i 1 Fig. 2is a'section on theline 2'2 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated -by the arrows- I 1 The device illustrated by the accompanying drawingsjlin which is shown the preferred form of-my invention, comprises booster cup '-1 which carries the booster charge 2; a time fuse indicated as a whole at entirety at't. 1

v 3 and an-unlockingdevice indicated as an Therear body of the bomb, not shown, is fixed 1n position with relation to the fuse by means of the screw threads on head 5 engaging corresponding threads in the nose of the rear-body. The rear body may be. equipped with the usual type of'stabilizer's (not shown). V

The'forward portion of the'head 5 has a central recesswhich is threaded at 6 and it also has a central upwardly projecting. holception of a threaded booster cup 1. Engaglowboss internally threaded at 7 for the re- 1 ing the threads 6 are corresponding threads on the body of the time fuse 3 having the.

annular members 8, 9 of. usual construction which are held in position by a nut indicated as a'whole at 10. The body 3 of the time fuse is forme d'witha stem-like projecting portion 3' serving in the usual manner asa support for the annular members 8,1;9.

' The forwardend of'thestem 3 however, is

formed with a conical-shaped opening. bounded by the slanting surface '11 which communicates at its apexwith an internal passage 12'filled with fuse composition lead-' ing to the time train of the fuse. i

Seatedion the conical surface 11 is the prlmer oas1ng13 having at its rear portion slanting surface. 11 formed with the same angularity as surface 11. Within the primer casing 13 is the retaining bushing 13? and upper' and lower diaphragmslgll of thin,

easily perforated material which retain the fulminate primer-composition within the casing'13. 7

. The hollow nut 10 is formed with'opp0s-- ing cylindrical projections 15, 16, forming V chambers for housing the safety or unarming plunger-s 17, 18; The plungers 17 18 are slidably mounted in the bottom of projections-15, 16 and the member 17 is formed with forked extensionsl9, 20 on itsinner end, shown in Fig. 2, while-the plunger 18 is formed with a solid extension 21 on its inner end which is immediately below'primer casing 13. In normal or, locked position, I the forks 19'and20 embrace the conical point of'firing pin 26, while the extension 21 is in the 'path of the firing pin andalso preventsits upward movement. The safety plungers 17, 18 are constantly urged to outward position by means of springs 23 surrounding said members and acting between the heads of said projections 15, 16.

The lower part of the nut 10 is closed by cap 22 securedby means of screw threads or other suitable fastening means and the hollow projecting members 15, 16 are closed by screw caps 24:. In the top ing its apex rounded, and adapted to co operate with the conical surfacebf this de- 7 pression is the firing pin 26having arounded head 27, a cylindrical body and a point tapering from a shoulder of the cylindrical body. The firing pin is normally held in retracted position by a spring 28 surrounding its body portion and compressed between'the head 27 and a sleeve30 which is integral shaft 32 is a spider to which is secured the upwardly extending rods 37 which are longi tudinally movable through alining openings in caps 22 and safety plungers 17, 18, re-v 1;

spectively, when sald plungers are in closed or locked position. 7

The time train communicates with the booster charge 2 through a fulminate charge by booster cup 1. Withinthe casing40 71s a cup .43 containing'the fulminate charge, and this cup is held within the casing 40 by means of bushing 4: 1 and nut 42' which threads into a recess in the upper closure cap 45 of the time fuse.

In operation the bomb is released from a high altitude due to the position of the carrying aeroplane, dirigible or the like, with the end having the propeller blades pointing downward. As the bomb drops through the air, the force of the air against blades 33 will turn shaft 32 in such a direction as to unscrew it from cap. 22. As the shaft unscrews, the integral collar 3,4 comes into contact with spider 38 and forcesthe spider and rods 37 downward until these rods become disengaged from safety plungers 17, 18.. When this occurs, the springs 23 force safety plungers 17, 18 outward into the hollow projections 15, 16. The sleeve 30 is forced upward by spring 28 and maintains primer I casing 13 in contact with its seat. The firing pin is now in released or armed position.

members and the base of surface of cap" 22, is formed cone-shaped depression 25,hav- A for the shaft to unscrew.

During the flight of the bomb, shaft 32 becomes entirely unscrewed and the unlocking device 1 drops independently of the rest of the bomb. i

When the bomb contacts or strikes any ob ect, the impact upon head 22 is transmltted to firingpin 26 which is driven upward against the tension of spring 28 into the fulminate of the primer which explodes. Thls detonates the fuse composition in passage 12 which communicates the combustion to the remainder of the time train.

The time train transmits the detonating wave to, the booster-jcharge 2 which detonates the main charge, not shown. The

shape of the depression in the interior of the cap 22. assures that the firing pin will be driven upward, although the contact is other than perpendicular to the axis of the bomb. Assume, for instance, such an angle of contact: The slanting side of the depression in cap 22 will strike the head 27 and drive the firingpin upward and the primer casing'13 will be moved by the force. of

contact to adjust itself on slanting surface 11 so as to be inalinement with and moved toward the firing pin 26 and the explosion ,will be started and transmitted in the same manner as, described above. 1

The function of the collar 36 is to prevent shaft 32 from being screwed into cap 22 far enough to bind or .make it difiicult 1 In case it is desired to dropsthe bomb in safe or unarmed, condition (as when driven by hostile planes over the lines of friendly troops) it is only necessary to unscrew the propeller blades from shaft 32. In this connection, it will be noted that the i safety member ,17' and 18 will be .held in inclosed in caslng 4L0 which is held in place the firing pin will, therefore, be unable to unarmed position by means of rods 37 and reach the primer cup 13. It will be understood that the pitch of the threads which secure the propeller to the shaft is in such a direction as will tend to tighten the propeller blades on the shaft while the bomb is dropping through the air. f

Having described my invention, whatI claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In a drop bomb, a firing mechanism comprlslng a firing pin, safety plungers cooperating therewith, means for lockingthe safety memberin unarmed position, a shaft, and propeller blades-secured to said shaft for automatically releasing said safety plungers while the bomb is in flight.

2 In a drop bomb, a firing mechansm said safety plungers during the flight of the safety plungers in unarmed position and bomb. 1 v movablelongitudinally for releasing said 10 I 3. In a drop bomb a firing mechanism plungers,- a shaft and propeller blades seincluding a firing pin and safety plungers cured to said shaft for Withdrawing the rods 3 having interengaging fingers to obstruct and releasing the safety plungers While the the active, movement of said firing pin, bombis in fllght 7 means urging said plungers toward armed V V a position, rods for normally locking the 1 JOHN HQSWAN. 

